Friday, January 23, 2015

S.E.X Spotlight~ Susanne Matthews~ The Price of Honor

What price is a woman willing to pay to restore a
man’s honor?

When her husband is falsely accused of treason and
murdered, Isabelle de Caen vows to find those responsible and see justice done.
Of royal descent, Isabelle is stunned when the king orders her hasty marriage
to one of his favorites, a man she detests. To save herself from a fate too
awful to contemplate, she disobeys the king’s edict and commits treason of her
own to find the truth.

Childhood friend, Guy Poirier, an aristocrat in
New France, has always loved Isabelle. When he discovers her hiding in his cabin
aboard ship, he agrees to hide her from her fiancé and help her clear her
husband’s name. It doesn’t take them long to realize there’s more at stake here
than her husband’s murder. With the fate of the colony in their hands, can
Isabelle and Guy prevent a war and find love in the new world?

Isabelle
turned the paper over and recognized her father’s seal on the back of the
letter. She broke the seal and unfolded the page.

My darling
daughter,

I’ve made
enquiries into the charges and events in Paris. Things aren’t as they seem and
I’m worried. I’m glad you’re in the abbey where God and the good sisters can
protect you. I’m afraid I can’t. I can’t even protect myself.

The events
surrounding Pierre’s death are most confounding. Those who spoke with the
guards have all vanished. Even the tavern no longer exists. This duelist is a
ghost—no one can even describe him.

My informant
discovered Pierre delivered documents from the governor general of New France
to the president of the French West India Company shortly after his arrival in
France. Since the charges against him stemmed from the colony, something in
those documents must have been to blame. My man continues to search for
answers.

By now, you’ve
heard I’m ill. My physician can’t understand it, but while he won’t confirm my
suspicions, I believe I’ve been poisoned. No matter what happens, you must stay
away. I don’t know who’s to blame for this, but I suspect it’s tied to your
husband’s death.

I love you and
miss you. Be well my darling child. No matter what happens, follow your heart.

Your loving Papa

Isabelle
sat in the pew and let the tears flow unimpeded down her cheeks. She reread
Papa’s letter more convinced than ever to discover the truth. She was startled
when a man sat beside her. She looked up into kind brown eyes. Guy!

He
hadn’t worn his uniform. Instead, he’d chosen to dress normally, making it easy
for him to blend in with the other penitents who’d attended the first church
service of the day. He’d allowed his hair to fall forward to hide his scar and
further obscure his identity. Like an answer to prayer, he held out his arms.
Desperate for a touch of human kindness, Isabelle went into them and cried
until she was sure there were no tears left inside. Gradually she became aware
of the thumping of Guy’s heart, of his breathing, and of the warmth suffusing
her. I could stay like this forever. Before she could nestle any deeper
into his arms, she realized where she was and pulled away.

Guy
released her. “Feeling better?”

The
question had become a familiar one to Isabelle. It seemed everyone thought a
few tears would heal even the deepest wounds, but there were some hurts which
could never be mended by tears alone. “Yes, thank you. Come, walk with me.” She
stood and moved towards the church doors.

Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Eastern Ontario, Canada. She’s an avid reader of all types of books, especially those with a
happily ever after. In her imagination, she’s travelled to foreign lands, past
and present, and soared into the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her
time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and
outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to
the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of
their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery
and love.